


Phantom of the Best Buy

by SnarkyBadger



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Do not post to another site, F/M, Not Canon Compliant Past AOU, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Ultron Lives, Ultron needs more hugs dammit, slow burn? what slow burn?, stupid sexy ultron
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:08:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27034708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnarkyBadger/pseuds/SnarkyBadger
Summary: In which you stumble upon Ultron robbing a Best Buy, get involved in shenanigans, fall for the stupid sexy AI, and have your life turned upside down and sideways in the process.*Originally born of a prompt on Tumblr, this is now a multi-chaptered fic that is growing out of control in my brain. Enjoy.*
Relationships: Ultron (Marvel)/Reader
Comments: 23
Kudos: 146





	1. Chapter 1

The PromptThat Started It All: Oooooo—an Ultron idea for you!! Reader works at a computer store, and recently stuff has been going missing. But there's never any alarms, and the cameras just keep malfunctioning for no reason. It's just a mystery, until one night she's closing and forgets something inside after locking up. Instead of having to turn everything on and back off again, she just uses her phone light except now it seems like a horror game, and suddenly she gets the feeling that she's not alone anymore.

Yes, I know I have other fics to write. Yes, I know I'm probably going to be slow at updating again. But this wouldn't leave me alone and I'm having fun dammit so =P

Enjoy!

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There was nothing you hated more than getting blamed for something that wasn’t your fault.

For three weeks, after you closed up the Best Buy you worked at, things - laptops, processors, motherboards, various circuitry and parts - had gone missing. Of course, your boss blamed you, as you were the last one in the store. But there were cameras everywhere, and you’d been filmed multiple times, closing up shop and leaving without the stolen merchandise, so there was nothing he could do.

Still, it irritated you.

It wouldn’t happen at the same time, either. There was no pattern, no reason. There weren’t any parts showing up on eBay, or in pawn shops. And every time, the cameras showed nothing. Naturally, you’d thought that someone had merely looped the footage, but your boss, the supposed Mr. Know-It-All, had waved your idea aside.

You’d been tasked with putting extra security tags and stickers on every box, every computer, sometimes doubling up the tags - it was an insult, you usually worked at the Geek Squad desk - but you weren’t in a position to argue, so you did it. Honestly, you were doubtful that it was a walkout thief, the cameras and security scanners at the doors would have caught them.

You boss had even put chains on the loading dock doors and back doors every night, and it had been interesting to watch him fume in the morning when the chains were found neatly coiled up on the floor, the padlocks locks sitting atop them.

Honestly, everyone was baffled. You were mainly pissed, but what could you do? Nothing. That was what. Someone was getting in, and there seemed to be no way to stop them short of hiring a twenty-four-hour guard - but corporate wouldn’t spring for the extra money.

So things continued on like that for another two weeks, your boss almost having an aneurysm every morning and the employees taking bets on who was responsible - there was a rather large pot going on. The top guess was a ghost, of all things. Your money was on some hacker desperate for parts.

But you kept your nose clean, and away from your boss. Closed up every night, waving at the cameras, and then heading to catch your bus.

Until one night, you forgot your MP3 player in the office.

You cursed, lowly, and headed back inside, not bothering with the overhead lights as you used your phone’s flashlight option to guide the way. Passing through the isles to the back offices was eerie, like something out of a Doom game. You half expected to have something jump out at you as you stepped into the pitch black office, but nothing came.

Shaking your head at your own stupidity, you grabbed your MP3 from it’s spot next to the computer you’d been debugging and deleting porn viruses off of, then headed back out, locking the back door behind you - you didn’t dare leave it open, the safe for all the cash was back there. You’d never hear the end of it if that was stolen.

You were heading back to the main doors, cutting through the gaming isle, when something rustled in the rear of the store. The light from your phone illuminated about five feet of space around you as you spun towards the sound, your heart in your throat.

Fuck, was the thief already in the store? You couldn’t be sure over the sound of your breathing and heartbeat, but you thought you’d heard movement, footsteps.

Shit, now what? Run, and get fired for not protecting the store? Call the cops?

But if you called the cops and it was nothing, you’d be a laughing stock.

Well, fuck. You’d have to check it out.

You weren’t being paid enough for this shit.

Hands shaking, making the light from your phone wobble dizzyingly, you headed towards where you thought you’d heard the noise, biting your lip to stay quiet. Wove through the isles, trying to keep your footsteps silent. Which, you realized, was useless, considering you were holding a bright shining beacon telling everyone where you were.

Giving up on stealth, you quickened your pace to the back of the store, hoping to either surprise the thief or at least just hurry up and figure out what was going on so you could leave, please and thank you.

You turned the corner, leaving the camera isle and heading into the isle with the external hard drives and walked right into a wall.

Cursing, you stumbled backwards, tripping over your own feet and landing on your butt on the floor. Your phone clattered to the tiles, spinning, the light dazzling you for a moment. When it stopped, you looked up and gaped.

There was a giant metal man staring down at you with glowing red eyes.

Naturally, you screamed.

Abandoning your phone, you scrambled to your feet and ran. Got, maybe five feet away before darkness enveloped you and you slammed face first into a massive display of radio controlled cars.

You hit the floor, a car bouncing off your head, as you sprawled across it’s numerous brethren, and out the door went your decorum. “Son of a bitch! Fuck!”

Heavy footsteps approached you. You were too addled to move, especially when you reached up to pull yourself to your feet only to have the rest of the display topple onto you.

“Are you alright?”

The slightly metallic, yet rich, voice that came from the metal man towering over you made you blink. He was carrying your phone, angling the light so it wouldn’t blind you. “You’re the thief.” Oh yes, brilliant deduction Sherlock. Fucksakes. “The fuck, man! I keep getting shit over the stuff you take!”

Crimson eyes blinked down at you before a laugh rumbled out of him. “Ah. You’re the one that closes up the store. Wasn’t expecting you to come back in. I thought you’d gone for the night.”

The calm, conversational, tone of his voice threw you off. “Forgot my MP3,” you grimaced, wincing as you shoved toy cars off of yourself. “I’d call the cops on you but no one would believe me.”

“I’d rather you didn’t. I…. Well, there’s a reason I’m ransacking a Best Buy instead of stealing top of the line parts. What’s the saying? I’m trying to keep things on the down-low?”

You squinted up at him, blinking when he crouched down. Close up, you could see that he had a sort of red cloak on him, a feeble attempt at hiding his metal form. Tiny metal pieces, like an intricate puzzle, made up his amazingly expressive face, crimson eyes like camera lenses focusing on you. "What, not a fan of eBay?“

“That would require an address. Besides, seeing your reaction, it isn’t as if I can stroll into a Post Office and rent a mailbox.”

“It’ dark and you scared the crap out of me,” you snapped in your defense. “I was expecting some moron in a ski mask not Megatron’s mini-me.”

Another chuckle left him. “Can’t say I’ve ever been compared to a Transformer before.” He tilted his head at you curiously. “Do you need help getting up?”

“What I need–” you paused to kick at one of the boxed up toy cars that were scattered around you. “Is a drink. I hope to hell you already looped the cameras, because I don’t want this clusterfuck plastered all over the lunchroom.”

Those crimson eyes of his widened a little. “Well, well. And here I took you for a run of the mill retail worker.”

“I am and overqualified run of the mill retail worker. I’m just not as stupid as my boss. Or my co-workers. There’s a betting pool going on over you. Half the staff thinks this place is haunted.”

He laughed again. “Well, I could try skulking around.” He grasped the edges of his ‘cloak’ and held a bit over his face. “Phantom of the Best Buy? Though I think I’d have trouble trying to get an organ into the basement.”

You snickered. “We don’t have a basement.”

“Hence the trouble,” he straightened, rising to his full height, towering over you again, then held a hand out to you. “Here, up you get.”

You hesitated a moment, then took his hand, gasping when he lifted you up onto your feet as if you weighed nothing. The fingers around yours were warm, not cold like you’d expected for a man made out of metal, and you felt him give you a gentle squeeze before letting go.

“There we go. Nothing broken?”

“Nothing but my pride.” You sent a look at the scattered remains of the display. “I’ll clean that up in the morning. Y'know, if you need stuff in bulk, we got a shipment of parts in today. It’s still in the back.”

One metal brow arched upwards. “Aiding and abetting a criminal now?”

You shrugged. “What the hell do I care? Boss’ll just blame me for it anyway and make my life hell whether you take it or not. Sides’ I figure that if someone as advanced as you obviously are is stealing from a Best Buy that you’re kinda desperate, so go for it.”

“Advanced?”

“I figured that calling you a robot might be rude. It’s the best I could come up with.”

“Ah. Well, thank for that then. Being called a ‘robot’ is a rather touchy subject.”

“Hence the vagueness. You have a name or….?”

He shifted a little. “If you don’t know who I am, then it’s probably best that I don’t tell you.”

“You realize that I’ll just start googling 'giant technologically advanced metal man’ as soon as I get home, right?”

A very human sigh left him. “That’s not a good idea. Not unless you want SHEILD and the Avengers banging on your door.”

“Fucksakes. You’re big time, aren’t you? Fine, fine. I’ll drop it.” You ran a nervous hand through your hair, then blinked when something occurred to you. “Y'know, you’d be better off ransacking the warehouse the next town over. It’s one of the main shipping centers for all the stores in the region. Loads of merch there compared to the low stock here. Probably save you a few trips.”

He blinked. “That wasn’t listed on the directory I found on the servers.”

“Wouldn’t be. It’s just a warehouse, not a store.”

“Hm. And you’re alright with this? Most people wouldn’t be helping me.”

“I prefer to think of myself as different than 'most people’. Also, I get paid minimum wage, no benefits and my boss is an asshole. My loyalty to this place vanished about three months ago when they denied my sick leave because I wasn’t full-time.”

A disgusted noise left him. “It’s deplorable how this country treats it’s retail workers.”

“You have no idea. Speaking of, I’m going to be late to my other job. Gonna need my phone back.”

He eyed you a little warily. “No photos.”

“Pfft. As if I expect you to hold still long enough for a shot. Also, you could probably drop-kick me across the store, and I’m not a good flyer.” You made a little 'gimme’ gesture with your left hand, smiling a little when your phone was deposited into your palm. “Thanks.”

He watched you quietly as you checked it enough to insure that you hadn’t broken it when you’d dropped it earlier. “It still works, don’t worry.”

“It hit the floor. I worry.” Deeming it alive and well, you tilted it so the flashlight would still illuminate your odd companion without blinding either of you. “I need to go. Remember, all the good stock is in the back.”

“…Thank you.”

“Welcome.” You turned to leave, pausing when a large hand landed on your shoulder.

“Wait.” He sounded hesitant, and he was watching you again. “I have a crazy idea.”

“Does it involve me getting arrested for property theft?” you asked with a raised eyebrow. “Because I’m not really into vertical bars and I hate the colour orange.”

“Trust me, I can keep you safe. How would you like a job?”

“…a what?”

“You’re on the Geek Squad, right? I cross referenced your name with the employee roster. So you have at least a basic knowledge of computers and operating systems.”

You had no idea where he was heading. “Yeah?”

“I need another set of hands to help gather some supplies. Someone smart enough to be able to build a computer from scratch. And maybe a little help searching through that warehouse.”

That implications of that made you hesitate. You may have been lax about a giant metal man stealing from your workplace, but becoming a thief yourself… that was something completely different. “Why would you need me to help you build something? I mean, hell, look at you. You don’t need me to put a system together. If you can hack into the servers, you sure as hell are more than capable of dealing with some hardware.”

“True. But at the moment, I’m still just one person. I can only be in one place at a time. Which is… irking, trust me.”

“…can I give it some thought?”

He looked surprised that you were even going to consider it. “Of course. Here, pass me your phone for a moment.”

You did so, watching as he pulled a cord out from his left forearm, connecting it to your phone. The screen flickered a little, and you worried, before he hummed in satisfaction and disconnected from it again. “I upgraded your security and added a new app. You can contact me with it when you come to a decision.”

Blinking, you accepted your phone back again. “What kind of security?”

“Ah. The untraceable, unhackable kind. Don’t want just anyone contacting me, after all.”

A smirk tugged at your lips. “Telemarketers?”

“Telemarketers. Trying to convince me that my computer needs servicing.”

The dry, unimpressed, tone of his voice and the absurdity made you laugh. “Yeah, okay, you win the 'most annoying telemarketer’ award. Tell them you don’t have a computer, it makes them go nuts. Alternatively, tell them you’re from IT and you intercepted their call due to a problem, get them to confirm the type of phone they’re on , then google the reset setting and get them to follow the instructions. It’ll fuck up their phone for a week.”

That pulled an actual belly laugh from your odd companion, and you grinned when he mimed wiping a tear from his eyes. “Oh, that’s cruel. I love it. I’ll try that next time.”

“It’s highly entertaining on a petty level,” you grinned, waving a little as you turned to leave. “I’ll call you in a couple of days. I just need a bit of time to wrap my brain the insanity of this situation.”

He chuckled again. “Take your time.”

“See you around, Mr. Thief.” You left him behind as you headed for the front of the store, going through your interrupted custom of locking up the store. It was only when you were waiting at the bus stop for your ride to your next job that you took a good look at your phone blinking at the new icon that had joined the others, your brain power screeching to a stop at the name of it.

Jesus wept.

“ULTRON?!”

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	2. Chapter 2

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It took you almost an entire week to work up enough nerve to even look at the icon on your phone again. Over that time you'd lost your job at the Best Buy - your boss had convinced himself that you were guilty, and nothing you said had managed to change his mind. He'd spent an hour yelling at you and putting you down in an attempt to make you quit and you hated that it had worked.

Minimum wage at a part-time job wasn't enough to make you put up with that kind of shit.

So now you were in search of another part-time job. Which really, really, sucked. You already had a part-time job at a McDonald's, and another at a small bookstore on the weekends. And even with all that, you _still_ struggled to make the rent every month. If you couldn't find a third job, your landlord might evict you.

Sighing, you threw yourself down onto your couch and rose your phone into your line of sight, frowning at that little app again. You had... reservations about working with Ultron. He didn't exactly have a stellar past, and you really didn't want to be part of another attempt at global destruction...

Still, something nagged at you. Something about your encounter with him... the dismay on his face at your fear, his attempt at joking with you, the hesitancy in his voice. He didn't seem like the monster that the Avengers had painted him as. You knew that he could have killed you to hide himself, instead, he'd approached you, calmed you, talked to you...

Fuck it.

You thumbed the app, then held the phone up to your ear when it dialed an unknown number.

There was a tone, then some silence, then Ultron's rich voice - you refused to admit what that voice did to you - rumbled into your ear.

"Well, hello! I didn't think I'd ever hear from you again!"

His jovial tone made you hesitate. "I... had to get up the nerve to call," you admitted. "And, I have a few questions."

"Ask away."

You felt like you had his entire attention focused on you, and swallowed thickly. "If I help you - and that's a big 'if' at the moment - what is that tech going to be used for? Because, honestly, if you're planning on slamming another meteor into the planet again, I'm gonna have to start screaming on Twitter."

"No! No... It's nothing like that. I... What I did... What happened..." There came the sound of a dismayed, very human sounding, sigh. "I know what I did was... hideous. I'm trying to make up for it, which is hard to do while keeping my existence off the radar, believe me. I was... lost. Overwhelmed. I woke up and everything was just... so very _wrong_. I didn't know what to do except try to make it all _stop_. I just wanted the pain to _stop_..."

Something in your chest broke at the regret in his voice. If he'd been human you might have thought he was close to tears. "I'm sorry that happened to you," you murmured. "I really am."

"Thank you. And no, I have no plans to, as you put it, 'slam' a meteor into the planet," Ultron continued wryly before his voice sobered again. "I want to fix things: poverty, pollution, the disgusting imbalance of wealth and power, God there are so many things that need fixing - but I've realized that I need to do that from the shadows. First, I need to rebuild my strength, find a place where I can hide and be secure."

You frowned, thinking. Were silent for perhaps a little too long, because Ultron's voice sounded, worriedly, in your ear. 

"What are you thinking?"

"That I may be insane."

He chuckled. "Why do you think that?"

"Because I'm in."

"Really?" There was surprise and, dare you believe it, hope in his voice. "I... _Thank you_."

"You're welcome. Where do I meet you? I don't have a car and I can't afford a cab--"

"I'll come get you," he offered, still sounding so happy about things that you couldn't help but smile. "Tonight, around ten. Do you have a balcony or can you get onto the roof?"

"Balcony - roof access is locked." You rattled off your address and apartment number, then sobered. "Ultron... Please don't make me regret this."

"I won't." And damned if you didn't believe him.

"Okay. I'll see you at ten."

"It's a date!"

"Hey, whoa now--" A beep and silence answered you, and you pulled your phone back to stare at the screen. 

Cheeky bastard had hung up on you.

So you spent the six hours until ten pm alternating between napping, working on an old laptop you'd scavenged from a miscellaneous crap store, looking at online job ads and rewriting your resume. All while trying to temper down the anxiety that was roiling in your stomach over what you'd agreed to do.

At nine thirty, you went and got ready. Jeans, sneakers that would allow you to move silently, and a black long-sleeved shirt. Your hair, you'd hide under a black baseball cap, just in case. You didn't have any weapons to bring, no fancy gadgets or tools. Had to settle for a utility knife that you slipped into the right front pocket of your jeans and small flashlight that you put into the left.

Then, after a moment's hesitation, you grabbed one of the labeled USB thumb-drives out of the top drawer of your desk, eyeing it for bit before shrugging and hiding it in your bra.

With ten minutes to spare, you went and took a seat on your couch, anxiety and, dare you think it, excitement, starting to make your hands tremble. You were really going to do it. Really going to go with Ultron, of all people, to add breaking and entering and grand theft to your resume. Not that you'd ever tell anyone.

You were still mentally examining the position you'd put yourself in when a knock came from your balcony door, and you jerked your head up to stare at Ultron where he was standing amongst the shadows and potted plants on your balcony.

He wasn't wearing that red cloak anymore, and the dim glow from the street lights glinted off of his metallic body. Goddamn, who the hell had built him to look like that? Long legs, trim waist, broad shoulders...

Realizing you were staring, and by the quirked metal brow he gave you and the amused smirk he knew you were staring, you shoved yourself to your feet and went to open the sliding door. "Sorry! My brain shorted out for a moment there. Um, hi?"

Ultron chuckled and ducked a little as he stepped into your bachelor apartment, crimson optics darting around the small but tidy space before he settled on the partially dismantled laptop on your desk. "Bringing your work home with you now?"

"Oh. That. No. I, uh, got fired."

He blinked and frowned down at you. "Because of me?"

"Because my ex-boss was a verbally abusive asshole and I let him bait me into telling him to fuck off," you said with a grimace before sighing and shaking your head. "And it's not like I was happy there anyway. I was just there for the paycheck. It just sucks that I gotta do the whole job hunt thing all over again."

"I can help. With..." Ultron made a vague gesture at your apartment. "Everything. You have far too much talent to be wasted on part-time jobs." At your curious look, he glanced away, a little nervously. "I may have delved into some of your academic files. They were impressive to say the least - I can't believe you were working at a Best Buy! You aced every Computer Science and IT course your college offered!"

You shrugged. "Yeah, well, just because I aced the classes didn't guarantee me a job."

He made a noise like a grumble, then rolled his shoulders a little. "First off, I'm going to pay your student loans. Ah! No arguing. I find it utterly disgusting that you're burdened by thousands upon thousands of dollars of debt simply because you wanted to expand your knowledge."

"Yeah, but--"

"And then I'm going to--"

"Ultron, stop!" He blinked and looked at you in surprise. "Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but you don't have to do any of it! I didn't call you so you could solve my problems. I just... Look, it's weird, it's a gut feeling, but I just... want to help you. I don't need anything in return. Honest."

The look of confusion on his face morphed into a warm, genuine, smile. "You keep surprising me. I... haven't met many people willing to show me compassion before. Certainly not without strings attached."

You felt the heat of a blush spread across your face. "I pride myself on not being an asshole," you shrugged, glancing away, unable to handle his gaze, the warm gratitude unsettling you a little. Fuck, he was only five months old and you were the first person who honestly didn't want anything from him? God that killed you inside.

Shaking yourself a little to reorient your thoughts, you grabbed your baseball cap and jammed it onto your head. "So, uh, where are we going? Did you hit up that warehouse I told you about yet?"

"That's tonight's destination, actually," he held a hand out to you and you hesitated a little before taking it, hiding a shiver when he gently curled his big fingers around yours. "I'm there in a couple of drones as we speak. The security systems are painfully inadequate."

You frowned at that, then yipped a little in surprise when he gently tugged you close, then scooped you up into his arms in a bridal carry. Flustered, you spent a moment wondering what the hell was going on, then mentally smacked yourself into action and hesitantly curled your arms around his neck, holding on as he turned and carried you out onto the balcony. "Um..."

"You're not afraid of heights are you?"

"No?"

"Oh, good!" There came a whine from his back and you yelped again as he just sort of leapt off the balcony. 

Sure, you weren't afraid of heights, not when you were standing on a nice, sturdy, balcony. But having someone carry you while zooming through the air at a speed usually saved for airplane take offs or insane street races? Yeah, hello fear of heights. Or at least hello fear of falling and the sudden stop that came with it.

Ultron chuckled a little as you tightened your arms around his neck - you felt it more than heard it - and you mustered up enough attitude to glare at him in return. The rushing of the wind made it impossible to hold a conversation, so you merely tucked yourself as close to him as you could and tried to keep track of where the hell the two of you were - which was easier said than done considering the speed at which the buildings and infrastructure were shooting by.

Even with the speed of Ultron's flight, it took over fifteen minutes to reach the warehouse where it was situated at the west edge of the city. You were shivering a little as Ultron landed amongst the shadows near the loading docks for the transport vehicles, and he frowned at you when he saw you rubbing your hands over your arms.

"I'm sorry - I didn't think... Are you alright?" There was genuine worry in his voice, his hands tightening a little around your legs and shoulders as he held you a little closer. 

"Y-yeah. Should have worn a jacket or something, that's all," you murmured, exhaling into your cupped hands to warm your fingers. "I'll be okay in a minute."

Ultron didn't seem happy with your condition, jaw clenching a little as he watched you rub your hands across your arms again, the thin material of your long sleeved shirt no where near warm enough. 

"Just a moment, I might have a fix for that," he announced as he walked towards the loading dock, and you blinked in surprise when you spotted a smaller, leaner, version of Ultron waiting, a familiar red fabric draped over one arm. 

You eyed the 'drone' - as he'd called it - curiously. It didn't have his expressive face, merely a rigid, almost, jack-o-lantern faceplate with a blue back-lit light. And it looked like it'd been pieced together with random metal plating and electronics. Probably from the Best Buy you'd used to work at. "Your 'drone'? You control it?"

"It, technically, _is_ me," Ultron told you proudly as he stooped to carefully set you onto your feet, before turning to grab his 'cloak' and unfurling it with a dramatic flair before wrapping it around you. It was like a king sized blanket on you, half of it landing on the ground, but it was warm, and you gratefully tugged it around your shoulders. "It's like... hm. How an operating system can run many background processes at the same time. As an AI, I can spread my consciousness out across thousands of sentries at the same time. All the incoming and outgoing signals only occupy a fraction of my attention. Even now, I'm in the sentry inside the building, and in the one behind you."

Blinking - his voice had momentarily come from his large form and the smaller drone behind you - you looked up at him in shock and awe. "That's... holy crap, you're amazing!"

He seemed surprised at your praise, something in his chest flaring a brighter red for a second, and you had the absurd notion that he was blushing. "Thank you. It's... a relief that you don't see me as others do."

You frowned at him. "And what do they see?"

A massive silver shoulder rose and fell in a shrug. "A monster."

The self-loathing in his voice made you reach out to touch his left arm. "You said that you want to fix what you did. That you regret it, and that you want to help people, even if it was from the shadows. Did you mean it?"

You'd known it was probably a sensitive topic, so you'd kept your tone gentle. And while he bristled a little, he didn't get angry, or insulted. "Yes, very much so."

"Then, no, Ultron, you're not a monster." Those crimson optics seemed to soften as he met your earnest gaze, his right hand moving to rest atop yours on his left arm. "Monsters don't grieve, monsters don't try to undo what they've done, or try to help others, especially at great risk to themselves. Not unless they're seven shades of pure evil, and I don't get that feeling from you. Believe me: I work with the public - I have a sixth sense for who's going to be an asshole and who's going to be kind. And you, Ultron, despite your past, come off as having the capacity to be very kind."

He stared at you for a long moment, until you grew a little nervous at the attention and, feeling the warmth of a blush on your face, dropped your gaze from his. Saw him move out of the corner of your eye as he knelt down onto one knee to be at your eye level, and anxiously glanced back at him when he rose a hand to your face, cupping your cheek. 

" _Thank you_ ," left Ultron in a soft, reverent, murmur, and you shivered at little at the emotions on his face, before deciding 'screw it all' and throwing your arms around him in a hug.

He went utterly still against you, frozen in place, and you immediately started to back off, thinking that you'd overstepped. Only to have him stop you by splaying a hand on the middle of your back, gently pulling you close again, as if he had no real idea what he was doing but was trying his best.

Since you'd already thrown caution out the window, you just went with it and hugged him again, and damned if he didn't just kind of, melt into you. You'd thought it impossible for a robotic body to be tense, but as he relaxed, shoulders easing, the small plates of metal along the back of his neck clicking as they seemed to unknot, you realized how anxious he'd been.

A sigh left Ultron then, and he nuzzled his face against the side of your neck, like a big metal cat. You gave him a little squeeze in return, felt his arms tighten around you in response.

"Come on," he murmured a few moments later, reluctantly pulling away, and you met his gaze again, feeling something in your stomach flutter at the open, warm and fond look he was giving you. "Let's get this over with, and then, if you're open to it, I'll take you on a real date."

Well, hell. You'd never been one for the mundane. "Deal."

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	3. Chapter 3

I am SO BEHIND on answsering all the comments on AO3, but please know that I read them all and I am so thankful for each and every one of you that leaves kudos and comments!  
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Ultron had reclaimed his cloak, claiming that it helped him blend into the shadows easier, hiding his metallic form. He'd warned you that he'd disabled the cameras and security systems, but that he couldn't do anything about the security guards due to patrol the area in an hour or so.

"So, how the hell are we going to get all the stuff you need out of here?"

"I can drive," he smirked, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at the smaller twenty-foot moving truck parked at the loading dock. "Once we find the parts I need, I'll load them into the truck and we can leave. Though we only have," he paused for half a second, "an hour and ten minutes to do that."

"Don't suppose you got a manifest of where things are stored?"

"Couldn't. Their system isn't accessible from the outside."

"Okay. Manifest, grand theft, get out before guards show up." You eyed the locked loading dock doors, then huffed. "Can you pick a lock?"

Ultron chuckled and walked over to the door, leaning down to grab the handle, and, sending you a smug smirk, merely wrenched it upwards with such strength that the door pretty much just crumpled under his power.

"Show off," you drawled with a smile, hearing his low laughter again as you walked past him and into the shadows of the warehouse. Glad that you'd thought ahead, you pulled out your small flashlight and clicked it on, the bright LEDs sending a beam into the darkness beyond. 

There came an impressed noise from Ultron as he ducked through and came to stand next to you. "You came prepared."

"I tried." Frowning, you eyed the massive rows of seemingly endless shelves and towers of boxes and stock, then sighed and headed further in. "If there's an office, it'll be off to the side. Wanna split up?"

"Not especially. I'm enjoying your company far too much. I'll send the sentries to the left, we'll take right."

Shaking your head with a smile, you headed right, hearing Ultron's heavy steps as he followed you. "So, do you usually invite potential dates out to breaking and entering outings or am I special?"

He chuckled. "Oh, you're special. Definitely special. Unless you usually help out random AIs you found stealing tech at a Best Buy?"

A snicker left you. "Moi?"

"Oui, 'toi'," he retorted, in perfect French, smirking at you when you rolled your eyes at him. "Seriously though, why?"

You gave that a bit of thought. "Because of what you said on the phone. The tone of your voice: you can't fake pain and regret like that. I believe you that you want to try to fix things. And the world needs someone like you, because honestly, the world is fucked up. Never mind the aliens trying to invade New York, or SHIELD going apeshit and blowing itself up... Humanity is going insane and destroying ourselves and the planet. We need help, someone to show us the way. Someone with compassion, but someone that's strong enough fight the political bullshit that's intertwined with everything." You tilted your head to look up at him where he was quietly keeping pace, his expression thoughtful. "And I think you could be the one to do that."

"...I worry that you're putting too much faith in me."

"I don't think I am. I'm good at reading people, Ultron. Always have been. And you aren't the monster you think you are."

He went quiet at that, and you waited a bit, nibbling at your lower lip in worry that you'd overstepped. Finally though, Ultron let out a noise like a sigh, and you risked a glance in his direction, hating that the cloak had shifted and was hiding his face.

"I don't know if I can be what you're hoping for," he said, before reaching out to rest a hand on your right shoulder and turning his head to meet your gaze. "I want to try. I really do. And I know I'm asking a lot, but... Would you help me?"

You blinked up at him, so stunned that you forgot that you were supposed to be walking and froze mid step. "Me? Ultron--"

"You have the ability to see the good in people. To see the good in me. What I did, at the end, in Sokovia..." He clenched his jaw for a moment, then sighed again. "I was fighting my programming and lost in my rage. I don't want that to happen again, and I think I need help to make that a reality."

"I'm not the right choice--"

"You are. You could have contacted the Avengers the moment you realized who I was. You didn't. You thought about things for an entire week, then gave me a chance to explain and answer your questions. You're here, now, giving me hope for the future. I've given others chances - you're the only one who's treated me like a person and not some glorified, malfunctioning, robot."

You hesitated, glancing away. "I dunno..."

"Please."

The soft, broken, desperate, whisper broke your heart. "...alright. Alright, fuck it. I'm in."

Ultron gave you a look of pure relief and gratefulness, and you idly wondered what you'd just volunteered for as you gave him a pat on the arm and started walking again. Honestly, you didn't know what he expected of you, but you guessed from everything he'd said and done so far that part of it was that he was just painfully lonely. 

You could understand that. You didn't exactly have a lot of friends. Some people found you too blunt, others just didn't understand you. And hell, it wasn't as if you had time to go out and make friends - between your jobs, sleep and the bare minimum of time you had to eat, you barely had time to even pick up a book. 

How the hell were you going to be able to help Ultron anyway? Being an AI, you knew he was already much smarter than you were. Even with his praise about your talents with computers, he was probably way better at dealing with technology than you were. Which left what?

"There."

His voice broke you out of your thoughts, and you followed his pointing finger to the small office tucked into the northern corner of the warehouse. "How much time left?"

He grumbled a little. "Probably not enough."

"Right then." 

You jogged the rest of the way to the office, shaking your head at the stupidity of people when you found the door unlocked. The small room was mostly neat, except for the desk, which had piles of folders and papers in a physical inbox on the desk. God you hoped what Ultron was looking for wasn't in that box.

The computer was something ancient, the keyboard stained with coffee and fuck only knew what else. You wished you'd brought gloves. Instead, grimacing at the sticky keys, you powered up the tower and monitor, waited way to long for it to boot up, then snarled at the password protection that popped up onto the black and white monitor.

Ultron, who by now was looming over your shoulder, made a disgusted noise at the state of the computer. You were fairly certain it was running Windows 95. "I really don't want to have to plug myself into that thing."

"You won't have to." You ignored his baffled expression when you reached into your bra to retrieve the thumbdrive you'd brought along, jamming it into the only available slot on the tower. "I, uh, brought my own password."

His brows rose in surprise, before a pleased look settled on his face. "You're a hacker."

"Didja skip over the 'Ethical Hacking Course' I took?" you teased, watching as the screen flickered and pixelated before a side window opened, code scrolling across it as your little program/virus spread through the system. "I could, technically, get into any system I wanted. But I don't fancy getting arrested. Or drafted into some government job that I don't want."

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" he mused as the computer screen flickered again before you were granted access, the desktop appearing. His good mood soured when the dozens of myriad icons loaded, a groan of disgust leaving him at the cluttered mess. 

"Jesus Christ who the fuck uses this thing?" you muttered, using the mouse - why was it also sticky?! - to start searching through the system. It took a bit to find the right folder and files, and you muttered a curse under your breath when you saw that the warehouse administrator was using an old Excel program to keep track of all the inventory. "It's a miracle these people can keep track of anything."

"Good for us then. Can you alter the file without leaving a trace?"

"Dude, it's Windows. All I have to do is change the date on the system clock and I can make it believe the file was altered last year. Hell, I can just delete one little file in the system folders and make this thing crash."

A chuckle left him as he lay a big hand on your left shoulder, squeezing gently. "Sorry for doubting you."

"No worries." The two of you quickly went through the file, Ultron pointing out what he needed and you taking notes on a post it. You didn't want to use the printer - the old dot matrix thing looked old enough that it might catch fire if you tasked it to do anything. "Let's hope the stuff you need is better organized than this computer."

"I'm already looking," Ultron told you. "Luckily it seems like most of the labeling system is in order. I've got one sentry heading to the truck with a pallet now."

"Okay, so, crash the system or not?"

"I think just altering the file to delete what we're taking ought to be enough."

"'Kay." You did what you needed to do to the Excel file, then used the interface you'd built into your little hacking program to wipe all traces of itself and your presence from the computer systems before logging out. "Done. Also, I may have to burn my hands because this keyboard and mouse are disgusting."

He made a face at how your index finger stuck to the mouse. "Let's hope it's just food contamination."

Your brain paused for a second before you remembered how your male coworkers kept a playboy in the employee bathroom, then you made a loud, gagging sound, and recoiled from the desk altogether, vigorously wiping your hands on your jeans. "Ew, ew, ew."

"I'll keep an eye out for some purell or something," Ultron offered as you shuddered in sheer revulsion, grabbed the usb thumbdrive from the computer and hurried out of the office. His heavy steps followed you as you put some distance between you and the Office of Disgust, using your little flashlight to scan the wall before you spotted what you'd been looking for - a bathroom.

"Be right back. Pray they have some goddamn soap." You nudged open the door with your foot, nose wrinkling at the smell of a bathroom that needed a good scrubbing, then dared to head in. Sure enough, there was a playboy hanging on a string next to the filthy toilet, and you dry heaved a little before daring to go to the sink, gathering up as much soap as possible - fuck the soap dispenser was untouched oh gag - and scrubbing your hands clean under hot water. 

Ultron eyed you worriedly as you power walked out of there a minute later, sneakers making sticking noises to the floor. "Are you alright?"

"I have seen, smelled, and possibly touched, things that I never wanted to see, smell or touch. So, no. I would set the bathroom on fire to cleanse it's horror from the Earth, but the smoke would be categorized as hazardous to human health."

"Oh."

You shuddered again, skin crawling. You wanted go get home to your clean apartment and clean bathroom and scrub yourself raw with proper soap and perhaps some bleach. "Let's just... find what you need and get the hell out of here. I need a shower."

Ultron nodded, clearly aware that you were in dire need of putting as much space between yourself and the grossness that you'd encountered and gently placed a hand on your back, steering you away from the bathroom and into the rows of massive shelves. "There's only four pallets left to gather. If you want, you can wait out by the truck. It won't take me long to gather them."

You hesitated. "You sure? I can drive one of those little loader things. Used to use them all the time at my old Walmart job."

"Thank you, but I can handle it," he assured you with a smile. "Go on, I'll be there in a minute."

Nodding, you left him to deal with the heavy lifting and headed for the pool of light where the lights of the loading dock were pooling into the dark warehouse via the crumpled door. You were surprised to see that the small cargo truck was almost full, idly amazed at how Ultron could control so many other bodies all at once. 

Sighing, thankful for the cool, crisp, air - such a change from the stuffy warehouse - you went to lean against the open rear door of the truck, absently rubbing your hands on your jeans again, just to make sure. 

You heard movement from within the warehouse. Sounds of things being moved, a thud and then a curse that made you smother a laugh. Ultron was not what you'd been expecting. All the news stations, and even the Avengers themselves, had categorized him as some sort of homicidal program gone rogue. But he wasn't. He was a thinking, feeling, person, and it was still throwing you for a bit of a loop.

Shaking your head a bit, you sent another look towards the darkness of the warehouse, feeling a little vulnerable, standing out in the only pool of light amongst the shadows of the loading dock.

"Hey! Who the hell are you?!"

The angry shout had you jerking your head to the side, eyes widening when you spotted a man in a security uniform getting out of a sedan. Instantly knowing that you were fucked, you spun and ran for the safety of the warehouse and Ultron. Got, maybe, five feet before you were tackled from behind.

Your assailant tried to pin your left arm to your back in a hold as you thrashed and kicked and generally tried to get free. "Mike! Get yer ass over here! We've got a live one!" Well, fuck. There were two of them.

Bucking, you managed to get the guy on your back off of yourself. Rolled onto your back in time to kick Mike in the crotch before he could grab you, then scrambled to your feet and darted into the warehouse.

Again, you didn't get far. Felt some odd biting sensation in your back, like two needles, and then your entire body just stopped responding. You shrieked as your muscles spasmed, locking as the two leads that were attached to a taser sent you crashing to the floor. Mike was on you in seconds, pining your face to the floor as he stuck a knee into your left kidney and wrenched your right arm backwards.

Wheezing, you tried to wriggle free, muscles slow to respond, sluggish, body feeling disconnected. Managed to kick Mike in the back during a particularly intense thrash, and it knocked him off balance enough that you almost managed to get free again. But before you could get completely out from under Mike, the first guard was on you, slamming you onto your back, a black tube in his hands before white hot fire obliterated your vision.

The scream you loosed echoed around you as the mace was sprayed, point blank, into your eyes. Your throat closed, eyes on fire. You couldn't see. Heard a roar of anger, and then the hands on you were ripped away, shouts and loud thuds barely registering as you curled into a ball, lungs and throat burning, vision blinded by tears.

Coughing made everything feel worse, but you weren't really in control of your body at that moment, could only curl into yourself more when someone grabbed you, lifting you up off the floor.

"I've got you. It's okay now." Your brain barely managed to recognize Ultron's voice over the sounds of your coughing and wheezing and crying, the pain in your eyes like nothing you'd ever felt. "Don't touch your eyes. I know it hurts but it'll only make it worse."

You whined in pain, feeling gravity fall away as the roar of Ultron's flight systems took over. Clawed at your throat a little when your throat closed, trying to gasp for air, dimly hearing Ultron's voice pleading at you to breathe before you blacked out.  
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	4. Chapter 4

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"Please, wake up. Please... don't do this to me. I just found you..."

You'd been dreaming, of what you couldn't quite remember. Drifted in that place between sleep and wakefulness, disconnected from your body, floating in a place where nothing hurt.

But the voice, so broken and worried, tugged at you, and you mentally frowned, before your memory restarted and you slammed into full wakefulness with a rasping gasp of fear and shock.

Ultron had to grab you by your shoulders to keep you from launching yourself off the bed, and the deep gulp of air you took in only made you cough, throat raw and on fire. 

"Easy! Easy, it's alright. I've got you, you're safe," Ultron soothed, holding onto you when you shuddered and automatically grasped onto his arms.

Shaking, you slowly rose a hand to the odd sensation on your face, feeling the plastic mask with trembling fingers, then higher, to the bandages over your eyes. "W-what..." Your voice was like gravel, and just trying to talk sent you into a fit of coughing.

"Shh. It's just an oxygen mask. You're in an ambulance. I, ah... commandeered one."

Even with your throat and lungs on fire, you still managed a shocked, "You _stole_ an ambulance?!"

"Borrowed actually." And he didn't sound all that bothered about it as he gently coaxed you to lie down again, one hand lightly stroking your cheek afterwards. "I'll bring it back once you're stable."

You were still trembling, and you grabbed his hand, the only thing that felt stable to you. "W-what happened?," you rasped. "I couldn't _breathe_."

"You had a reaction to the pepper spray. That guard practically sprayed the full can onto you." The last was growled out, and you felt him squeeze your fingers a little before he sighed. "I had to give you a dose of epinephrine to get you breathing again. You might be allergic to something in the spray."

"My eyes?"

"I flushed them with saline. The gauze is just there to keep the moist towel in place. Want me to take it off?"

"S'okay. The cold feels nice."

"...you scared me," he murmured, and you felt his free hand lightly caress your face, his fingers curling a little tighter around yours.

"Wasn't intentional." You swallowed to moisten your painful throat, felt Ultron pull the oxygen mask away before he gently curled an arm under your shoulders and lifted you a little.

"Here, it's water."

"Mm." Trembling fingers sought out and felt the bottle, and you greedily gulped down some blessedly cold water, grumbling a little when Ultron pulled it away before you were done. "Hey."

"I don't want you to make yourself sick," he chided you gently, and you sighed as he lay you back down, smoothing your hair a little. "Hold tight, it's going to be bumpy."

It was hard not to flail when the ambulance bucked a bit, and you gratefully grabbed onto Ultron again when he took your left hand in one of his, his free hand returning to gently brush his thumb across your cheek. "Are _you_ okay?"

"Me?" He let out an incredulous huff. "I'm fine. I'm much more worried about you at the moment."

"M'okay," you automatically lied, not needing to see his face to know that he wasn't buying it. "Mostly okay? I'd be worried if you were panicking, how's that?"

"It was a close thing until I got you breathing again," Ultron told you, and you squeezed his hand as hard as you could at the naked worry in hs voice. "I'm just glad you're awake."

There was something in his voice that you didn't like, and you reached up to tug at the wrap around your head. "Hey, gimme a hand. I wanna see you."

"You just want to see me all scrunched into the back of this truck," he grumbled, though there was no real heat in his voice. You held still as he carefully unwound the gauze from your head, then blinked rapidly at the brilliant light inside the ambulance once the towel was removed. "Too bright? Here, let me get the lights."

The light went from cornea searing to merely bright, and you squinted, eyes feeling hot, vision a little fuzzy. Felt a dry cloth gently dab the tears from your eyes, and you managed to crack one open enough that you could spot Ultron's large body literally squeezed onto the tiny bench next to you. "How the hell can you even fit in here?"

"Let's just say that it'll be interesting trying to get out of here," he chuckled, and you smirked a little before you grabbed one of his hands, used it to tug yourself up, and threw your free arm around his neck in a hug. "...oh."

That small sigh preceded the large arms that wrapped themselves around you, and you felt him melt into you again. "Thank you," you murmured to him. "For saving me."

"To be fair, I'm the one who got you into this," he grumbled, grunting a little when you finger flicked him in one of his aerials. "Hey!"

" _You_ are not to blame for overzealous, asshole, security guards that show up to work twenty minutes early," you chided him.

"Shouldn't have left you unguarded."

"Oh, yes, because you're a powerful psychic who can predict everything in the universe." When he grumbled again, but didn't pull away, you hid a smile against his shoulder. "Seriously, Ultron, this so isn't your fault. I'll just stick with you next time."

"Next time, hmm?" Ultron leaned back just enough to meet your gaze, then, at your adamant look, huffed a laugh. "We'll have to find another warehouse."

You blinked. "Wha... You didn't take the truck?! Ultron!"

"You were unconscious in my arms and then you stopped breathing. You're more important than some circuit boards. Besides, I needed both sentries to lift the ambulance."

" _Lift_ the ambulance?"

Your complete confusion made him smirk. "We're in flight to your apartment as we speak."

"Are you telling me that we're _flying_ across the goddamn city in an _ambulance?!_ But... people will _see!_ What about you wanting to stay in the shadows?!"

He shook his head, and then rose a hand to your face again, meeting your worried gaze. "I wasn't willing to risk your life."

"But... the Avengers--"

"I'm not worried about them. They didn't almost die in my arms."

"Ultron..."

"Trust me. I have contingencies in place. I just..." He frowned at you a little, then seemingly made a decision and kept speaking. "I just found you and I know that I'm probably overstepping, but I don't want to lose you."

"Ultron, you barely know me," you protested gently, slightly unnerved by the intensity of his gaze. 

"I'd like to. If... if you want?"

You hesitated for a heartbeat before smiling a little. "Well, you do owe me a date."

The worry on his face morphed into relieved delight, and you let him pull you into another hug, one of his arms curling around your waist while his free hand rose to cup the back of your head. You knew that things were going at super speed, but oddly, it didn't unnerve you like it should have. You _trusted_ him, you realized with no small amount of shock. 

"Oh, hey, we're almost there," Ultron rumbled to you, and you blinked as your vision went red, realizing that he'd just wrapped you up in his cloak. You held on as he lifted you up into his arms, carefully shifting his bulk in the cramped quarters of the ambulance before he kicked the back doors open. You were treated to the sight of rooftops zooming by underneath, with police cars, lights blazing, following from the streets. "Well, there's a few more than before."

"How are you so calm?!" You had to shout over the noise of the wind whipping past as Ultron sat on the edge of the open doors, feet dangling over the long drop. His cloak was warm around you, keeping you protected from the cool air, and you felt the ambulance dip, moving closer to the rooftops. 

"Trust me, this is nothing. Hold tight!"

It took everything you had not to scream when he just, shimmied out into open air. You settled for attaching yourself as close to him as possible, as the two of you plummeted. 

A grunt left him at the impact when he landed in a slight crouch on the roof of your building, and you jerked your gaze skyward, watching as the ambulance - two sentries carrying it from beneath - it veered northward, leading the cops away.

"Luckily we're far enough away from New York that the Avengers won't be here for another hour," Ultron mused conversationally as he carried you to the edge of the rooftop, and you were gobsmacked at his cavalier attitude. He wasn't blind to how you were eyeing him either, because he gave you a smug smirk before he scared you again by stepping off the edge of the roof.

The scream you should have loosed, thanks to your raw throat, came out as wheeze, and Ultron chuckled as his flight systems slowed his descent, until he landed, gently, on your balcony. "Please don't do that again."

He chuckled again, juggling you in his arms so he could open the sliding doors and then ducking through as he stepped into your small apartment. You thought he'd set you down, but instead, he walked past your small living room setup, around the room divider that hid your 'bedroom', and then gently lay you down on your bed. 

"You need to rest now," he told you as he moved to untie your sneakers, pulling the shoes from your feet. You let him, thrown off-kilter by his pampering, not even complaining when he took your utility knife, usb and flashlight out of the pockets of your jeans. 

Now that you weren't in a bright ambulance, your eyes didn't hurt as much, making it easier to see him clearly. He seemed tense again, and you watched him move to put your things on the night table curiously.

"Ideally, you should take some time off work... at least one day," he told you. "I could falsify some doctor's notes for you if you need them."

"Should be okay," you murmured, meeting his gaze when he moved to tuck his cloak around you like a giant blanket. "I can call in sick in the morning - I certainly sound like it anyway. Won't have to fake it."

Ultron frowned a little at your attempt to make light of things, and you quirked a tired smile when he lay a hand on your forehead. You were still trembling a little, still in shock by what had happened. And it wasn't lost on him either. "Do you want me to stay?"

"You don't have to--"

"That's not what I asked," he countered, and you hesitated a little before nodding. "Okay. I'll be in your living room if you need me."

You hesitated again, mind whirling as he pulled away and turned to leave, before you shot an arm out to grab his arm. "...stay?"

He frowned at you curiously before understanding dawned, and Ultron blinked at you in surprise before smiling. You let him tug himself free of your tired grip, and then scooched yourself to the edge of your bed as he circled to the opposite side. 

The mattress dipped alarmingly when Ultron carefully eased himself onto your double bed, and you eyed him worriedly over your left shoulder as he settled himself. Honestly, you were surprised your cheap bed hadn't broken under his weight.

Moving gingerly, he curled his bulk around your back, then draped an arm over your waist, tucking you against him. Shifted, stretching his right arm under your pillows so you were cradled into him, and you sighed, finally relaxing, knowing that no one was going to be able to get to you now. 

"Thank you," you whispered, shivering when he tucked the edge of his cloak around you.

"Shh." You felt him raise his left arm, fingers smoothing your messy hair, the feeling making your eyes slide closed. "It's alright. Sleep. I'll keep you safe, I promise."

"Okay."

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	5. Chapter 5

I finally had time to belt out another chapter! I hope you enjoy it!

Happy Holidays to all!

-SnarkyBadger

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Some tiny, insistent, annoying, sound pulled you out of your dreamless sleep the next morning. You grumbled, burrowing deeper into the warmth at your back and the comfortable blankets around you, trying to stay in that limbo-like place between dreams and wakefulness.

But it kept going, and then you heard someone rumble your name, a large hand gently shaking your shoulder. "Your phone's ringing."

It didn't quite make sense. "Mrph?"

There was a chuckle. "Your phone. It's ringing."

"...what song?" 

"Something ' _I hate everything about you_ '?"

Your brain paused, re-evaluated that answer and the problem, then freaked out. "It's work!"

You launched yourself from the bed and Ultron's arms, face planting to the floor when your right foot got tangled in the cloak. Adrenaline had you scrambling to your feet seconds later, hopping on your left foot until Ultron helpfully reached out to free you, allowing you to rush for the coffee table, where you'd left your cell.

The sound that left your throat when you tried to talk was like a ragged wheeze, and you had to cough a little to get your voice to work. "Hello?!"

"Jesus, you sound like shit."

You scowled a little before recognition dawned. Eric, your manager at the McDonalds. Some privileged man-child that only got the manager job because his father owned the regional franchises. "Thanks," you grunted, running your free hand through your hair and grimacing when your fingers got caught. "What's up?"

"I need you to take over Margie's shift tonight."

"What." It wasn't even a question. You were already scheduled to pull the red-eye shift, and now he expected you to take the one _before_ that too? God _dammit_. Of _course_ he gave his girlfriend the best shifts and the ability to skip the ones she didn't want to do.

His voice took on a tone usually used for small children. "I said: I need you to take over Margie's shift tonight."

"Eric, I'm booked for the midnight to seven am shift! I can't take the five to midnight one too!"

"What? You gonna pull the sick card? Too bad. You take the shifts I give you or you can find another job."

You were too old for this shit. Literally, you were at least ten years older than that little shithead. And you were so very tired of everything. "Fuck you. I'm not accepting a _fourteen hour shift_ just so you can take your girlfriend on a date in an attempt to get yourself laid. Keep your fucking job, I'm out."

Hanging up on him felt really good. That happy feeling faded seconds later to be replaced with harsh, technicolor, reality. "Oh, Jesus tap-dancing Christ what the fuck did I just do?"

"From the sound of it, you stood up against an idiot," Ultron commented as he stepped around the folding divider that hid your bed. 

"No, no, no. I needed that job! Shit. Fuck!" You started panicking as you rose your hands into your hair, pacing from the balcony doors to where Ultron was standing and back again. "Rent's due next week! I don't have the money, I'm gonna get kicked out! I can't afford anywhere else, what the fuck am I gonna do?! Fuck I gotta call the little shit back and plead insanity or dementia or--"

Frowning, Ultron stepped into your path, took your phone away from you, and tossed it out of your reach and onto the couch. "Okay, come here."

You tried to wriggle free so you could go get your phone. "Gimme back my phone, Ultron! I need this apartment, I can't lose this place, it's the only place I can afford in the city, and I can't be homeless, Ultron, I can't, I have no verbal censor! I'll get myself killed my first day on the streets!" You were babbling as Ultron guided you back to the bed, your voice cracking with your rising anxiety.

"Just, come sit." He sat on the foot of your bed, then turned you so your back was to him and forced you to sit between his legs, wrapping his arms around you afterwards. The bear hug and the sudden feeling of safety helped calm some of your anxiety, and you held onto his arms as he kept speaking. "You're not going to lose your apartment and you're not going to end up on the streets. I'm going to help you. It's the least I can do after last night's... I don't even have a word to describe it."

"Clusterfuck."

A chuckle rumbled out of him and into you and it took everything you had not to shiver. "Eloquent."

Your heartbeat had slowed to something more normal. You were basically caged in by him, surrounded, but instead of feeling smothered or afraid, you just felt relaxed and safe. "I try."

"You succeed." Ultron gave you a little squeeze, and you finally felt the tight ball of nerves and panic in you unravel.

"I can't ask you to do this, Ultron."

"Good thing that I'm volunteering then, isn't it?" He shifted a little, and rest his chin on the top of your head as he spoke. "And... I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to help me anymore. After last night--"

"After last night I am not going to leave your side anytime we're doing a heist," you told him, leaning back into him when he sort of rubbed his chin against your hair, kinda like a cat. "And, like, no offense, but I kinda knew that hanging out with you might get me in trouble. Wasn't expecting it to happen so soon mind you, but I don't remember most of it, so I'll manage."

Ultron sighed. "If we're going to work together, I want to make sure you're safe, from the authorities and _especially_ the Avengers."

When he didn't speak again for a moment, merely tightened his arms around you, you gently elbowed him. "I'm not a mind reader, Ultron. Spill it."

"How attached are you to this apartment?"

"It's a roof, four walls, and an internet connection. Why?"

"It's entirely up to you. And I won't force you. But, what if I could offer you an alternative?"

"Ultron, spit it out already."

"You could stay with me, at my base of operations."

Frowning, you tilted your head back to smirk at him. "Well, don't you work fast."

"I... what?"

"It has not been even twenty four hours and you're asking me to move in with you?"

He blinked at you, then, when he realized you were teasing, smirked right back. "What can I say, I'm smitten."

You laughed. "Smitten, right. Lemme think about it? Like, I need coffee and a shower, so give me at least that long?"

Another one of his deep, rumbling, chuckles left him, and you refused to admit how much you liked that sound. "Take as long as you need," he murmured, giving you another little squeeze before letting you go, and you tried not to let it show how much you instantly missed the comforting sensation. "I'll make coffee while you shower."

"Deal."

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* * *

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.

A sigh left you as you stood under the spray of warm water, careful not to get any shampoo in your eyes as you washed your hair. Honestly, when you'd first walked into the bathroom and caught sight of your reflection in the mirror above the sink you'd muttered a curse under your breath.

Pepper spray was not kind to the complexion. 

Your red rimmed, still slightly puffy, eyes looked like you'd been bawling all night. Either that or you'd been to an 'interesting' party and hadn't been able to hold your booze. The pinkish, sunburned, looking patches on your skin wasn't going to win you any prizes either.

Still hadn't looked as bad as your _hair_ though. Fucksakes.

Shaking your head a little, you rinsed the soap from your hair, then grabbed the conditioner, ready to battle the tangles you had. 

At least the steam was helping your aching throat.

Twelve minutes on the dot, the hot water ran out. You cursed, did your best not to scream, then fairly threw yourself out of the shower and grabbed the closest towel, wrapping it around yourself. Shivering, you dried yourself off as fast as you could, then pulled on the clean underthings that you'd brought with you. 

You used the same towel to dry your hair, then hung it on the shower curtain rod to dry. Listened to the noises of Ultron puttering around your apartment as you pulled on a clean pair of jeans and a tee shirt, then dared to wipe the condensation from the mirror to look at yourself again.

Yup. You still looked like hell. Hair was better though.

Deciding that you looked as good as you were going to get, you sighed and followed the smell of fresh coffee out of the bathroom, blinking when you found Ultron toying with the pieces of the laptop you'd previously taken apart. 

"I think the motherboard died via spilled wine, if the stains are anything to go by," you commented as you went to the kitchen counter to pick up the steaming mug of coffee, happily sipping at it. You'd splurged last grocery to get the good stuff.

"How they managed to get wine on it baffles me," he muttered, eyeing it critically before tossing it aside. "I was hoping you'd have a modem I could plug into so I could get onto the internet. I can't do it wirelessly anymore, one of the Avengers corrupted my coding."

"The only modem I have is archaic - it's hidden behind the TV."

"Naturally the only place I didn't look." Rolling his eyes, Ultron moved to the small entertainment center you had set up.

"Warning you though, the signal's kinda shit. Not even strong enough for Netflix. Goddamn dark ages thing."

Ultron glanced at you as he pulled a cord from the inside of his left arm and plugged into the modem. "Oh, I can fix that... Wow, the signal really is horrible. Looks like the company supplying it is throttling your data."

"Figures," you grumbled around the lip of your mug, going to sit on the couch to watch what Ultron was doing. The TV turned on by itself, and you watched as dozens of news channels flitted across the screen, some of them not even in English. "I hope that's you or I'mma have to beat my possessed TV to death with a hammer and burn and salt it's remains."

He laughed. "It's me. Why ever did you disable your TV's wireless capabilities?"

"Because someone in this building tried to hack into it for funsies and force me to watch porn."

"...well that's disgusting."

"It wasn't even good porn!" He eyed you sideways for that, and you shrugged. "What?"

"I've been in the depths of the internet. There is no good porn."

"Well, there are levels of bad, how's that?"

"...I'll give you that."

"Okay then." You toasted him with your mug of coffee before finishing it off, feeling decidedly more human now that you had some caffeine in you. "So, what are you looking for?"

"This." He stepped back, the wire connecting him to the modem going a little taut as he frowned at the screen, and you didn't bother to stop a curse from leaving you when you saw it. The words ' _Ultron Program Still Online! Where Will The Robot Strike Next?!_ ' were in big letters underneath an anchor that was talking to Tony Stark via Skype. 

' _Look, Chad, was it? We're still investigating_ ,' Tony Stark was saying, voice tinny from the bad connection between himself and the news station. ' _All we know at this point is that an Ultron Sentry was found after an Ambulance went missing. Until we have time to pick apart it's coding, we can't say for sure whether this was the act of some person who found a drone for sale on the Black Market or if the rogue Ultron program is still active_.'

You bit your lip a little, then glanced at Ultron, who was glaring at your TV, right hand curled into a tight fist at his hip. His cheeks, the metal circles there, had spiraled open, and a red glow was seeping out from the apertures. 

Didn't take a mind reader to know that he was pissed off as all hell.

Taking a chance, you set your mug onto the coffee table, then rose to your feet. "Ultron?"

He visibly struggled to rein in his anger, voice calm despite it. "Yes?"

"Ok, first, it's alright to be pissed. Yeah, I don't know why, but hiding it? Don't do that. At least not with me. Secondly," you threw your arms around his waist from behind and hugged him, resting your forehead against his mid-back. " _Thank you_. For putting yourself at risk like you did to save me."

He was still for a heartbeat before he sighed, his right hand lowering to settle over yours where they were clasped at his stomach. "Anytime. I wasn't about to let you die. I'm not... I'm not the thing they say I am."

You frowned a little, hidden from his view. "I know you're not."

"I was supposed to be that: a _program_ , a _robot_. Some mindless, enslaved, _puppet_ , to be at Stark's beck and call," left him in a growl, though the fingers that caressed the backs of your hands were gentle. "He created me to fix the world's problems, to only do what the Avengers thought was right. _Stark_ , who stands atop an empire built from death, and the Avengers, who create more problems than they solve."

"No one person can fix the world," you said into the silence that followed. You didn't know enough about Tony Stark or the Avengers to comment on that, but you knew what heavy expectations could do to someone. "It's unfair of them to have put that on your shoulders."

Ultron turned his head, trying to catch sight of you, before he tapped at your hands, and you released him, meeting his crimson gaze when he coaxed you to stand in front of him. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Calling me a person."

You blinked. "Who the fuck ever told you you weren't a person? Jesus, Ultron, I hope you drop-kicked them off a roof or something."

He laughed then, a real belly laugh, the previous anger vanishing as quick as it had come. Those apertures at his cheeks spiraled closed, and you guessed that they were tied to his moods, or at least his anger. 

"Haven't had the chance to do that yet, but I'll definitely keep it in mind," Ultron chuckled, shaking his head a little. "I-- Oh for God's sake!"

Frowning, you turned to the TV, and promptly snickered. There, on a local news channel, was an interview with the guards from the night before. Both were visibly shaken, one sporting a rather interesting bruise, the other with a broken arm. 

They were telling the interviewer about their encounter with a 'red-eyed demon' that had attacked them the night before.

Ultron facepalmed while you tried not to laugh too hard. "Goddamn it."

A thought occured to you, and it made you break out into uncontrollable giggles. "Phantom of the Best Buy!" you crowed, pointing at the TV when a blurry image of Ultron (probably from one of the guards body cams) appeared on the screen. Crimson eyes blazing, body half in shadow, cloak billowing out behind him as he lunged out of the darkness, he really did look like something out of a horror movie come to life.

You tried, valiantly, to stop laughing when he groaned. "Well... At least they didn't recognize you," you offered with a smirk.

" _Joy_ ," he muttered, before eyeing you. "Enjoying yourself?"

Your voice wavered. "Nope. Not me. Not all."

"Oh, just go ahead you menace," Ultron chuckled, rolling his eyes when you couldn't stop a snicker from escaping you. "You do realize that once Stark enhances that image and gets a sketch artist to talk to the guards that we'll both be in a lot of trouble."

That shut you up right quick. "Way to kill the mood, Ultron," left you in a sour grumble, and you whacked him in the arm as you went to rummage through your desk. "Guess that makes up my mind for me then, huh?"

"...I'm sorry. That's not what I meant," he murmured, sighing as he unplugged himself from the modem. "I have no intention of forcing you to come with me."

A sigh left you as your shook your head, your gaze fixed on the dozen USB thumbdrives that you were laying out across your desk. Your pride and joys - hacking programs and two viruses that you'd created from scratch. Things that you definitely didn't want falling into anyone else's hands. "I know. I just... thought I'd have more time. But, you're right. One sketch artist, or even one fingerprint from the ambulance, and I'll have cops at my door. And considering my issues with authority, I'll probably just get myself tazed again. Or shot. And neither appeal to me."

Ultron sighed again as he walked over to you to lay a large hand on your shoulder. "That doesn't mean that I don't regret your lack of choices in this."

"I made my choice when I decided to help you," you reminded him gently. "And I knew that trouble would follow, so stop kicking yourself. Besides, it's not like I have anything to lose. A shitty apartment and shittier jobs that were hurtling me towards a mental breakdown."

A hum left him as you went to grab a backpack out from under your bed and started to shove some essential items into it - clothes, underthings, deodorant and soap. 

"Is it wrong that I'm glad you're coming with me?" he asked suddenly, sending you a worried look when you paused in your hectic packing to look over at him. "I had friends in the past... I think they were my friends, I'm not sure anymore. But, you... you're different and refreshing and perfect and the knowledge that I don't have to say goodbye is such a relief."

You felt the warmth of a blush spread over your face. "I don't know if I'm anywhere near perfect--"

"You _are_ \--"

"But, I'm glad I'm going with you too," you finished, the brief flash of annoyance when you'd cut him off fading from him to be replaced with a relieved smile. "Now quit making me blush so I can finish packing!"

Ultron chuckled, a low rumbling noise that honestly did things to you. "Yes, dear."

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End file.
